1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf clubs, and more particularly to a golf putter that produces a highly consistent putting distance regardless of where on the putter face that the ball is struck.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most golf clubs including putters produce the most accurate and longest distance shot when the ball is struck on what is known as the xe2x80x9csweet spotxe2x80x9d. The sweet spot of a putter is typically located at or near the geometric center of the club face. Attempts have been made with all golf clubs to increase the size of the sweet spot so that mis-hits, such as when balls are struck on a portion of the club face that is not the sweet spot, will still produce a shot having relatively the same distance as when the ball is struck directly on the sweet spot.
Club manufacturers have devised numerous ways to increase the performance of golf clubs so that a ball travels travel further when mis-hit. Nearly all of these attempts involve trying to increase the size of the sweet spot to reduce the effects of a mis-hit. However, the putting stroke requires a club head speed that is only a fraction of the speed required for virtually all other golf shots. The result is that most club head design improvements do not significantly improve putter performance. In addition, such club head designs often require expensive materials, result in more complicated dies and molds for making the club heads, and are highly design intensive, thus resulting in a more expensive putting product.
Mis-hits are a major cause of putting problems both for highly skilled and modestly skilled golfers. The more skilled golfer can notice any change in distance resulting from even the slightest mis-hit. Less skilled golfers may be less sensitive to distance changes when slightly mis-hitting the ball, but are much more likely to mis-hit the ball more often and by larger margins. In either case, both the highly skilled and modestly skilled golfer putt inconsistently.
One example of a commonly used putter that is designed to increase the size of the sweet spot is manufactured by the Wilson(copyright) Sporting Goods Company and is identified as model no. 8813. This putter includes a putting head with a putting face with a thickness near the top edge that is consistent but relatively thin. The bottom of the putting head is much thicker and varies over the length of the putting face. More mass is provided near the toe and near the center to increase the size of the sweet spot. However, mis-hits still result in shorter putts when struck on the toe or heel of the ball striking surface.
Another method of increasing the mass of the putter near the toe is to provide one or more recesses and to place weighted elements in each of the recesses. The weighted elements are manufactured from a material having a higher density than the material of the putter head. In this manner, the mass of the toe can be increased in order to increase the torque applied to the putting head near the toe, away from the hosel, to increase the distance of putts struck nearer the toe.
One object of the present invention is to provide a putter that produces putts of substantially equal distance whether struck on the heel or toe of the putter face. Another object of the present invention is to provide a putter that has a putter face which produces putts of substantially equal distance whether struck on the toe, the heel, or at the center of the putting face. A further object of the present invention is to provide a putter that is designed to shorten the distance of putts struck at the center of the putting face to substantially match the distance of putts struck on the heel or toe of the putting face. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a putter having a putter face insert that deadens the sweet spot and is relatively light in weight, relatively simple to manufacture, and utilizes readily available materials to construct the insert.
These and other objects, features and advantages are provided by a putter constructed in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, a club head for a golf putter has a bottom surface, a toe, a heel opposite the toe, and a ball striking side that extends between the heel and the toe. The ball striking side has a center disposed between the heel and the toe. A face insert is carried by a portion of the club head and defines at least part of a ball striking surface on the ball striking side of the club head. The face insert is adapted to absorb energy near the center to produce a substantially consistent coefficient of restitution over a majority of the ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the club head is formed from a material that is softer than a material of the club head. In another embodiment, the face insert is formed from a Balata rubber material.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the club head includes a face section having a toe end, a heel end, a back surface facing the ball striking side, and a front surface opposite the back surface. The face insert also includes an energy absorbing section disposed near the center and extending from the back surface of the face section.
In one embodiment, the face section of the face insert has a generally oblong shape covering a portion of the ball striking side of the club head. The ball striking side of the club head and the front surface of the face section together define the entire ball striking surface. In another embodiment, the face section has a size and shape that matches a size and shape of the ball striking side of the club head so that the front surface of the face section defines the entire ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the energy absorbing section is a generally circular cylinder having an axis substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the face insert.
In one embodiment, a toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center is less than or equivalent to a heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end. In another embodiment, the toe thickness and the heel thickness are constant from the toe end and from the heel end, respectively, to near the center. In an alternative embodiment, the toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center and the heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end each become gradually thicker over a portion of the face section approaching the center. In a further embodiment, the toe thickness is greater than or equivalent to the heel thickness.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes a recess in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the face insert is received in the recess.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes a bore near the center in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the energy absorbing section of the face insert is received in the bore. A shallow recessed section surrounds the bore in the ball striking side of the club head and at least a portion of the face section back surface contacts the shallow recessed section. The back surface of the face section portion is adhered to the ball striking side of the club head within the shallow recessed section. In another embodiment, the entire face section is received in the shallow recessed section and the front surface of the face section is co-planar with the ball striking side of the club head beyond a perimeter edge of the face section. In this embodiment, the front surface of the face section and the exposed portion of the ball striking side of the club head together define the entire ball striking surface. In an alternative embodiment, the front surface of the face section covers the ball striking side of the club head and defines the entire ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes at least one weight insert carried in a corresponding recess in the club head. The at least one weight insert is formed from a material that has a density greater than a density of a material forming the club head.
In another embodiment of the invention, a golf putter has a shaft with an upper end and a lower end. A grip is carried on the upper end of the shaft. A club head is carried on the lower end of the shaft and is formed from a club head material. The club head has a bottom surface, a toe, a heel opposite the toe, a ball striking side extending between the heel and the toe, and a center disposed between the heel and the toe. A face insert is carried by a portion of the club head and defines at least part of a ball striking surface on the ball striking side of the club head. The face insert is formed from a material that is softer than the club head material. In one embodiment, the face insert is formed from a Balata material.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the face section has a toe end, a heel end, a back surface facing the ball striking side, and a front surface opposite the back surface. An energy absorbing section is disposed near the center and extends from the back surface of the face section.
In one embodiment, a toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center is less than a heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end.
In another embodiment, the golf putter also includes a bore near the center in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the energy absorbing section of the face insert is received in the bore. A shallow recessed section surrounds the bore in the ball striking side of the club head. At least a portion of the face section back surface contacts the shallow recessed section. The back surface of the face section is adhered to the ball striking side of the club head.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the entire specification including the drawing figures and claims. Although preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed and described herein, the following description is provided in order to illustrate aspects of the present invention and not in any way to limit the scope of the invention. Many modifications and changes can be made to the present invention as described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.